Process of Awarding
The Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are generally considered to carry the same level of prestige (though significantly fewer Gold Medals have been awarded). The chief difference between the two is that the Freedom Medal is personally awarded by the President of the United States, and Congressional Gold Medals are awarded by Acts of Congress (Congress may authorize the President to present the award).
Per committee rules, legislation bestowing a Congressional Gold Medal upon a recipient must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the membership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate before their respective committees (the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs) will consider it.
A Congressional Gold Medal is created by the United States Mint to specifically commemorate the person and achievement for which the medal is awarded. Each medal is therefore different in appearance, and there is no rule of reaching a standard design for a Congressional Gold Medal. Congressional Gold Medals are also considered non-portable, meaning that they are not meant to be worn on a uniform or other clothing, but rather displayed much like a trophy. In rare instances, miniature versions have been made for wear on clothing, suspended from a ribbon; for Lieutenant Frank Newcomb, for the men of the First Byrd Expedition of 1928-1930, and for the men who completed the first transatlantic flight in May 1919.
Often, bronze versions of the medals are struck for sale.
A Congressional Gold Medal is a completely separate award from the Medal of Honor, which is a military decoration for extreme bravery in action. Another similarly named decoration is the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, presented by NASA for extraordinary accomplishment to the mission of United States space exploration.
Read more about this topic: Congressional Gold Medal
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